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“The impact of it is that you were clearly in a completely unfit state to be able to control this vehicle,” said Recorder Philip Curran.

“When you were taken to the hospital police wanted to establish what was in your blood. You refused to give them a sample of blood for analysis.”

Footage of the camper van's dangerous journey was captured on another motorist's dash cam and used in the court case

The court was told Whitehead had two other convictions for failing to provide a specimen.

Recorder Curran added: “It seems to me having watched that evidence this is a very serious case indeed of dangerous driving.

“It is just by good fortune you didn’t collide with other vehicles. The risks were indeed great.

The judge said only an immediate jail term could be imposed.

He concluded: “If anyone is to review the sentence they ought to watch a very graphic piece of evidence from the recording device on the front of the car - one of the vehicles that had just come on to the motorway.”

Police received a host of concerned calls from members of the public who saw the camper van travelling southbound on April 8 this year.

Miraculously no one was injured when the camper van flipped over and ended up on its side in the middle of the motorway

A court heard the motorist with the dashboard camera followed the motor home out of a service area near Kendal.

Debris was strewn across the carriageway but no other damage was caused.